Barber directs armies to Roby

Former Alabama congressional candidate Rick Barber, the flamboyant bar owner defeated this week in the Republican primary for Democratic Rep. Bobby Bright's seat, has endorsed his former opponent Martha Roby for the general election.

Roby, a Montgomery city councilwoman, bested Barber by a 20-point margin in Tuesday's runoff vote after finishing first in the initial round of primary voting on June 1. In a letter to supporters, Barber said it "has been a true privilege to run over the past seven months, and it will be a privilege to campaign for Martha Roby for Congress through November."

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"From the start of my campaign, our slogan has been 'Taking your fight to Washington.' I am certain that Martha will pick up that banner and take the conservative fight to Bobby Bright," Barber wrote. "Bobby Bright needs to be replaced, and Martha Roby is the right woman for the job."

Barber also appeared with Roby on a Montgomery-area radio show this week, cutting a $500 check for her campaign and urging listeners to donate as well.

"It was a classy move and something he didn't have to do," said Roby campaign manager Mike Hamilton. "Martha was sincerely surprised and grateful."

Barber briefly popped on the national political radar after producing several campaign videos that likened health care reform to slavery and featured an actor playing George Washington urging Barber to "gather your armies."

Roby faces a difficult fight against Bright in the general election. A former Montgomery mayor with a conservative voting record, Bright has a reputation in the district that goes beyond his party label. Roby pounced this week on comments Bright made about immigration, when he criticized Arizona's anti-illegal immigration law and left himself open to an attack from the right.